CHAPTER FORTY SIX
WILLIAM
I had been right about one thing. I would come back for her. If it took a lifetime, I would find her again. I would wait a hundred years if I had to.
But staying? That wasn’t something I could do. Not to her. Not to myself.
After she left for her chamber, I stayed by the water for a while.
The night was quieter, the sea stretching endlessly under the moon.
Every sound, every breath felt heavier than the last. I tried not to think, but everything reminded me of her.
The way she smiled, the way she said my name, the way her hand had fit in mine like it had always belonged there.
Eventually, I moved toward the small dock behind the castle.
There were a few boats there, tied loosely against the posts.
I found a small one, worn from years of use but still sturdy.
It would be enough. I checked the ropes, the oars, the boards.
I worked in silence, letting my hands move while my mind stayed far away.
I would stay for the wedding. I owed her that much.
I would stand among the guards, silent and still, and watch her walk down the aisle in white.
I would watch her say vows she didn’t mean to a man who didn’t deserve her.
And when it was over, when the ball had ended and the castle had gone quiet again, I would leave before the morning light touched the sea.
I would give up my title, my knighthood, my life here. None of it mattered anymore. Not if she wasn’t in it. But staying would only break us both. I couldn’t look at her and pretend that I was fine. I couldn’t stand there and watch her become someone else’s forever.
I straightened and looked toward the castle. The lights glowed softly in the distance, gold against the night. Somewhere inside those walls, she was preparing for her wedding. For a life she didn’t choose.
My chest ached. When God allows it, I’ll find my way back.
I stood, listening to the sound of the sea for a moment longer. Then I turned away.
Tomorrow, I would watch her marry another man.
And then I would leave.
Possibly forever.